Record-plate for graphophones and like machines.



W. G. RHODES.

RECORD PLATE FOR GRAPHOPHONES AND LIKE MAGHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27, 1909.

INYEN T OR I filliam C.Rhodes. BY 9 mm AT "rYa.

WILLIAM c. mropEs, or cLEvEmNn, 01110.

' nEconn-PLATE ronen raoraonns AND LIKE mncnmns.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

Application filed January 27, 1909. Serial'No. 474,863.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM O. R:HODES, citizen of the United States,resldmg at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented certaln new and useful Improvements in Record-Plates forGraphophones and Like Machines, of

which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to record plates for graphophones and likemachines, all substantially as shown and described andparticularly-pointed out in the claims.

'In the accompanyin drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the p ate ordisk, and Fig. 2 is a central cross section thereof.

The plate or tablet D as thus shown is fiat and of disk form, and has arib or bead 2 upon its face side on a radius approximately one-third thewidth of the plate from its center, in this instance, and stands abovethe record surface about as shown in the draw: ings, so that said ribcomes about the inner border 5 of record surface 3 and which border orsurplus space is usually reserved for possible use in case the matter tobe recorded is of exceptional length. The said rib or bead 2 comes aboutthe inner limits of said space 5 while a corresponding border 6 is shownnear the outside of the record or inscribed surface 3. The saidcorresponding border 6 consists of a succession of raised segments 4;,which are relatively as high as rib 2 and run to points at their endsand are separated by fine or narrow correspondingly curved slots orspaces 8 leading in onto the plate from the outside and as deep as saidsegments. Now, as to the utility and advantages' of these raisedportions 2 and 4, it is noted, first, that said rib 2 affords aneffectual check or stop to the travel or throw of the needle when it hasrun its course on the record surface and which would continue to travelor be thrown inward toward the center of the plate if there were nothingto stop it. Heretofore, in flat plates, the sole dependence of themachine to avoid this and consequent danger or injury to the diaphragmor sound box by contact with parts at the center of the plate has beenthe care or watchfulness of the operator, but this cannot always berelied iipon, especially with inexperienced or forget ul persons, and,in fact, the operator should not and need not be taxed in this way.Hence the conce tion.

worked out by me in or through sai rib fiat record sur or bead 2, whichautomatically stops the travel of the parts beyond said rib, or itsequivalent, regardless of the operator. The machine might runindefinitely and notsus- .tain injury with a precautionary stop of thiskind in use. It also serves as a central support for superposed platesto protect the record surface. Final as to segments 4 near the edge ofthe plate, it will be noticed that they are separated b the said curvedslots or channels 8 which begin at the outer side and run/inward ontothe surface of the plate the full de th of said segments. Said slots aredesigne to intercept the needle and lead it in upon the late in case theoperator by mistake or care essness starts it outside on the edge 7. Ifcan travel onl will enter the position inside a short distance before itrst lead slot 8 and come into to do its work.

The portion 2 is described as a rib or bead, and such is its referableform, "but if the inner portion of the plate indicated by 410 andextending fora distance about pivot hole 12 in the center of the diskwere made relatively as much thicker as said rib this be done the needleindicates and thus produce a shoulder it would serve my purposemeasurably as well as a rib so far as orming a stop for the needle.is'concerned and also for rotecting the record surface 3, but it wouladd 0bjectionably to the wei ht of the plate and hence is not as desiraAgain, the exact location of said rib or shoulder is not in itselfmaterial provided that it be between the central hole 12 and le as therib alone.

the inner border of record or engraved surface 3, but a position not farremoved from said inner border is deemed best, say about as shown in theaccompanying drawings.

What I claim is:

1. A plate for graphophones and the like having a succession of segmentsnear the outer edge thereof standin uniformly above the record surfaceof the plate and open slots for the needle to run in betweensaidsegments the full depth thereof and adapted to land the needle directlyupon said record surface from the outside, and a flat annular rimoutside said segments even with the slots between the same and needle upto said slots.

2. A grapho hone plate provided with a ace and a series of segments nearthe outer edge thereof standing higher Q an ames "than saidsurface andcurved slots between said segments the full depth thereof formingsuccessive leads for the needle inward onto said record surface and afiat annular rim next outside said leads and segments,

' and an annular rise next within said record needle upon said recordsurface and after it 10 leaves the same.

In testimon whereof I afix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

WILLIAM c. innonns.

Witnessesz I F. C. MUssUN, E. M. FISHER.

